Prospects Will Break Your Heart

A Dee Gordon PSA

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Hello, my name is Jason Parks, and I want to talk to you about Dodgers prospect Dee Gordon. Have you, or anyone you know been affected by the prospect love showered on Dee Gordon? If so, you aren’t alone.

Dee Gordon fans started making noise in 2008, after he made an impressive debut in the Pioneer League. The majority of prospect prognosticators were on board by 2009, and by the start of the 2010 season, the Dee Gordon situation had reached a ferocious intensity; respected prospect guru Kevin Goldstein suggested before the 2010 season that “Gordon's tools are the best in the [Dodgers] system by a mile, and among the best in the game, with one scout calling him, ‘A Jimmy Rollins starter kit’." ESPN’s Keith Law jumped into the Gordon argument as well, ranking him as the 39th-best prospect in baseball, with two talent evaluators suggesting to him (independently) that Gordon is Jimmy Rollins with less power.

So, it was a high-praise shower indeed. Then, after feeling the full torrent of prospect love that offseason, Gordon made the jump to Double-A, and ardor for him cooled a bit, but the movement is still very much alive. As someone with friends who have fallen victim to the Jimmy Rollins dream, I just want to make this prospect public service announcement to make the case that Gordon’s lofty projection is more fantastical than real-world future.

Let’s start this off with a little honesty before we delve deeper into the scouting. When I first saw Dee Gordon, I was impressed: I was standing by the fence on the first base side of the field, watching this athletic shortstop with range that made the left side of the infield appear smaller. His actions at the position were a little clumsy, and he made a few routine plays look much harder than necessary, but his arm was strong and his body looked projectable, so my prospect pulse was starting to race.

For whatever reason, I just assumed he was a recent Latin American signee, getting his feet wet on the backfields. At this point, I was still unaware of who the player in question was; after all, I was watching a low minors complex game, and the players are often without identification on their jerseys. I finally walked over to the Dodgers coaching staff and asked who the fast-twitch athlete playing shortstop was. I was told Dee Gordon.

Now, it's not that I was unaware of Dee Gordon in general. Rather, I had never seen him play in person, and even though I knew he was a toolsy infielder in the Dodgers system, at the time, I never thought I was watching a 22-year-old. My prospect pulse returned to its normal state of being slightly to moderately manic.

Dee Gordon is a legit prospect in the sense that he has some major league-quality tools, and one can envision those tools refining and becoming weapons at the highest level. His speed is unquestioned, with a fast first step out of the box and 80-grade times down the line. On the bases, he is able to turn that speed into a weapon, stealing bases at a high clip and turning singles into doubles and doubles into triples.

On defense, Gordon has all the athleticism and coordination necessary to play above-average defense, with excellent first-step quickness, giving him well above-average range. His arm strength is above-average, but his throwing mechanics aren’t always the cleanest, affecting his accuracy and bringing his overall grade down a bit.

At the plate, Gordon gets into the hitting zone quickly, with a fast trigger and a clean, compact stroke. Thanks to his speed and contact ability, Gordon has been able to hit for average, and his approach keeps him in favorable hitting situations. After talking to scouts, it was pointed out that Gordon could become a dominant base-stealer at the major-league level if he could improve his strength in order to hit (reach base) against more advanced pitching.

Here’s the reason for the Prospect Public Service Announcement: After looking at the scouting reports, and looking over my own notes, and talking to scouts who have seen Gordon, and talking to friends who love Gordon, and flipping a few coins, and consulting a Magic 8 ball, I decided that I needed to warn others about the dangers of falling in love with this type of prospect. I just don’t want to see you hurt.

Here are a few questions that we must ask and answer if we have any hope of moving forward from Dee Gordon:

Q: Will Dee Gordon become an above-average shortstop at the major-league level?

A: Not likely. Despite having range and a strong arm, Gordon’s glove is more underdeveloped than you want to see from a soon-to-be 23-year-old, and it's hard to project him as a plus defender. Sure, with a few more years of repetition, Gordon’s glove will no doubt improve, but I don’t see the glove becoming above average, and when scouts start to mention that moving to center field might be a beneficial move, it reinforces the doubts about his ability to refine enough to play above-average defense at short. Call the chatter about a position switch mere speculation (which it is), but it is out there. You don’t hear people discussing Adeiny Hechavarria or Jose Iglesias moving to center, so it makes you question Gordon’s defensive projection more than you normally would.

Q: Will Dee Gordon be an above-average hitter at the major-league level?

A: No. Gordon has a good hit tool, but the strength isn’t there, and it’s hard to see where it will come from. Without adding strength, pitchers will feel more comfortable attacking Gordon over the plate, daring him to beat the pitch. With a swing more conducive for connecting to deliver balls in play, Gordon will have to rely on his contact and speed rather than his pop and power, limiting the dimensions of his offensive game. Earlier, I mentioned his approach being sound, which is true, but how many walks is he going to draw when advanced pitchers aren’t concerned about challenging him at the plate? Without more strength, Gordon isn’t going to be effective against major-league pitching. His contact ability and legs could make him a nuisance when the ball is put in play, but without the ability to punish mistakes, Gordon doesn’t offer much to dream on when it comes to offensive production.

Q: Does the fact that he is the son of a former major leaguer give you more hope that he will develop?

A: No. I certainly enjoyed watching Dee’s father pitch; he always brought everything he had. But they aren’t built the same physically, and it would be one thing if Tom used to be a 23-year-old shortstop in the minors who eventually found his refinement, and whose body developed strength in his early 20s, so that he became a damn good major league-quality shortstop. If that were the case, I’d probably be more of a believer in Dee, but it isn’t the case, so I’m not over-thinking the connection (not that I assume other people are.)

Q: What do you have against people liking Dee Gordon? You seem to be taking it personally. What gives? It’s not like their belief in the player affects you.

A: Keep in mind that Dee Gordon is still the player that turned my head in person, so this is not intended to be an attack on Gordon the gifted athlete, or Gordon the man. Rather, this is my honest take on his skills, which I do not think warrant such high praise, nor do I think his projections are realistic. Admittedly, this is coming from a guy who thought 17-year-old catcher Jorge Alfaro, who has a .000001 percent chance of ever developing into something, was the next great prospect, so keep that in mind—I know what it’s like to dream. I would just prefer dreaming of highly projectable 17-year-old prospects than 23-year-old prospects that play like highly projectable 17 year-olds.

Falling into the Dee Gordon prospect trap can be quite easy to do, as his tools offer up something satisfying to dream on. However, once you gaze at that 80-grade speed, or witness the range in person, it's hard to tell yourself that it’s okay to want more from a prospect. I’m here to tell you that’s it’s okay to say that you want more refinement from a 23-year-old. It’s okay to say that you want your prospects to have the physical projection (read: strength) necessary to utilize their tools at the major-league level. It’s okay to want more.

One of these days, Dee Gordon might just prove his doubters wrong, and show refinement with the glove, and improved strength at the plate, allowing him to fulfill his projection as a first-division regular at the major-league level. If that happens, not only will I gladly admit that my analysis was inaccurate and take my hits on that front, but I will also be the first in line to watch him play, because if he ends up proving me wrong, he will be worth the price of admission.

Jason, very entertaining way to present your case. And clearly it's the fantasy crowd that has a crush on Dee Gordon because of his stolen base potential. Your arguments were pretty straightforward, though. Thanks!

agreed. I for one am a fantasy guy and hope you are wrong, but hearing both sides of the argument is helpful when figuring out who will prosper at the big league level and who will not.BA is pretty high on him. Are they not looking at the whole body of work, or are they just buying the helium projection?

I think it's fair to say that the total lack of power last year make the Jimmy Rollins comps look silly, but if Gordon turns into a late career Juan Pierre who plays league average D at short I'll be happy.

That would make him a major league shortstop, not an above average major league shortstop. The power is a huge part of what made MVP Rollins special. Without the power and a 45 defender is OK but not special.

Brett Gardner says hello. Despite having little to no power or strength, he continues to draw walks due to a discerning batting eye. From a fantasy standpoint, wouldn't you want your stolen bases guy to be standing on first, rather than second or third, after an AB?

*One final note: I know my articles appear under the handle “Prospects Will Break Your Heart,” and my first three articles have been heavy on the criticism, but this won’t always be the case. I just decided to come out of the gate with articles that happen to veer in this direction. Rest assured, after I get back to the fields in a few weeks, I will no doubt bombard you with hyperbolic tales of the next great prospect. So even though I have chosen to put myself into this box early on, it will not be the association I carry into every article I write for Baseball Prospectus. I just wanted to clear that up.

They have a point. Gordon is difficult to project because of his limited experience. I tried to keep that in mind when evaluating him, but his lack of physicality/strength isn't tied to his baseball experience, and that concerns me more than the present state of his glove. Without improved strength, Gordon will struggle to have offensive value at the major league level.

It's about time someone evaluates individual prospects in the context of reality -- that even most top 100 prospect don't end up being more than mediocre major leaguers and many don't make it at all.

For every Tampa that actually saw it's youngster lead the team to the playoffs, there's several Arizonas and Dodgers, who have watched many of their top young players flop or level off -- and the Giants, Rockies and Padres have won most of the last few playoff spots.

As a Dodger fan who was really looking forward to seeing Gordon in the AFL this past fall, I have to say that, although I am far from a professional talent evaluator, I felt exactly as Parks did. If he is the star of the system, the Dodger's future is in a heap o'trouble. I appreciate the honesty of the article, as there can be almost a polyanna-ish approach to reviewing prospects. Just look back at how many 4 and 5-star prospects from 3 years ago have fallen on their faces.

If I were a Dodger fan, I would be lamenting the fact they traded away the true gem of their farm system: Carlos Santana.

There are many prospects that falls on their faces. There are also others that their organization gives up on, and then goes on to stardom. Along with Santana, I'm thinking about Carlos Gonzalez and Hanley Ramirez . . .

sure, it happens. Every team has to give up prospects to make it to the next level. That's part of the game. But, to the Dodgers defense, who would have thought that Martin would fall off a cliff like he did?

I'm sure some think he can add some strength, which will keep the bat in his hands at the plate, and could lead to some gap-to-gap power. But previous attempts to gain weight have been futile, so it doesn't look all that promising in that department. Perhaps his body is just late to bloom, and that would certainly change things a bit. That said, I can't look at his current body and project that development with any confidence.

One of the more enjoyable pastimes is to visit minor league teams and, on observing, get caught up in the performance of a young player. It's almost like he becomes a pet, someone you follow as he continues within the system, someone you hope will emerge as the top level. As an Oriole fan (sorry, I can't help it!) I toured the farm system a couple of years ago and was really impressed by a young player at Frederick, Robbie Widlansky. Since then, I always check the box score to see how he's doing (he hit well in the Australian winter league this year!). He was never listed as a prospect... but I hoped against hope that they were wrong. It wasn't until midseason last year that I conceded ... Still, it's an entertaining way to follow the team, especially when the big club is performing below expectations.